Julie Swihart

Second Chords

Let’s look at how to play a D2 (D Second) chord on the piano. We’ll also learn the pattern for building any second chord.

What Are Second Chords?

Second chords are major chords with an added note. The added note is the second note of the matching major scale.

So to build a second chord, we’ll start by building a major chord. Major chords are built using the first, third and fifth notes of the matching major scale.

To convert the major chord into a second chord, we’ll add the second note of the matching major scale to the chord.

Chord Types Printable

Learn to play 17 types of piano chords using 12 different root notes with this 34-page PDF! Chords are sorted both by their root note (C, D, E, etc.) and type (major, minor, augmented, diminished, etc.).

Get the Printable

How to Play a D2 Chord

To play a D2 chord, we’ll start by building a D major chord using the first, third and fifth notes of the D major scale: D – F♯ – A.

Then we’ll add the second note of the same scale to the chord: E.

So to play a D2 chord on the piano, we’ll play:

D – E – F♯ – A

Add9 Chords

You may have also heard of “add9” chords. A Dadd9 chord is a D major chord with an added major ninth (the ninth note of the scale). Since major scales only have eight notes, a major ninth is actually the same note as the second note of the scale, just one octave up.

So the notes of a Dadd9 and D2 chord are the same, just in a different order:

Dadd9: D – F♯ – A – E
D2: D – E – F♯ – A

Other Chord Types

There are many other chord types you can learn. Here are some others:

Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished
Minor Second
Suspended
Fifth
Sixth
Minor Sixth
Seventh
Minor Seventh
Major Seventh
Ninth
Minor Ninth
Major Ninth

Conclusion

Now you know how to play a D2 chord on the piano, and you can use that knowledge to build any second chord.

Using patterns to build chords is a lot of fun. Once you know the pattern for how to build a particular type of chord, you can use that pattern starting on any note!